Children's Home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Shropshire

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people benefit significantly from their stable, long-term and nurturing placements. They are extremely positive about the quality of care and support they receive.  Young people make excellent progress and experience improving outcomes in many areas of their lives in comparison to their previous circumstances.  Care and support is planned, coordinated and delivered to a consistently high standard.  Staff practice and routines are adapted and adjusted quickly in response to changing needs, which makes the service very responsive to each young person’s circumstances.  Young people feel respected, safe and secure in the home and with the people who look after them.  Young people are doing very well at school because educational attainment and achievement is valued and strongly promoted.  Young people’s views, wishes and feelings are central to how the home operates which helps shape the way staff organise themselves on a day-to-

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

day basis.  Leadership and management are highly effective. The experienced, qualified team are effectively motivated, supported and empowered to do their very best for young people.  Monthly monitoring visits are not being undertaken by an independent person so brings into question the neutrality of the visitor. More needs to be done to encourage young people to contribute to their records that are kept by the home.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard with particular reference to the standard in paragraph (1) that requires the registered person to ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(f) help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. 30/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that if the independent person becomes aware of a potential conflict of interest (whether under regulation 43(3) or otherwise) after a visit to the home, the independent person must include in the independent person’s report details of the conflict of interest and the reasons why the independent person did not notify the registered provider of the conflict of interest before the visit. (Regulation 44(6)(a)(b)) 30/09/2015

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

06/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory progress

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people living in the home are

Young people’s experiences and the progress they make is exceptional. They are very positive about the care and support they receive. They make excellent progress because of the stable, consistent and enabling nature of the home. They are able to build and sustain very helpful relationships with carers and other professionals as well as grow their own network of friends. The registered manager and staff team create a home environment that is as non-institutional as it can be. Young people are helped to overcome the negative experiences of having multiple placement moves over many years. Their emotional health, safety and welfare improves as these areas are central to the home’s child-focused approach.

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people living in the home are

Staff know and understand each young person well, there are some excellent relationships which are underpinned by regular therapeutic guidance and advice. They are encouraged to reflect on their personal histories and how their experiences have affected their lives. Young people feel very comfortable in their surroundings, which is reflected in the homely and safe environment provided. One young person stating, ‘I'm very happy here, it feels like my home.’ Their confidence grows the stronger their attachments become, enabling them to confide and trust the staff who look after them. Young people grow as individuals; they are able think and plan ahead positively for their futures.

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people living in the home are

Young people are fit and healthy because their needs are addressed in close consultation with a range of community services and health professionals. Young people are actively engage in a range of awareness raising activities and health education routines. This results in a better understanding of how to a lead healthy lifestyle and what can be done to maintain good health and well-being.

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people living in the home are

Young people have a near 100% attendance record at mainstream school. They are achieving in line with their own expectations and that of their teachers. Young people are on track to achieve some good GCSE grades. They benefit from the home having a very committed approach to educational achievement. This is done by maintaining a strong interest in young people’s progress and having highly effective relationships with teaching staff. Consequently, when young people sometimes have trouble with their schoolwork or behaviour, staff can act quickly to help solve problems. Young people’s achievements are regularly celebrated by the whole team.

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people living in the home are

Young people benefit from daily discussions with staff about how they want to spend their leisure time. This helps provide useful and constructive routines that young people want to do and like doing. Young people’s hobbies and interests are very well promoted and facilitated. They are able to follow their individual interests and develop their talents. In particular, learning to play a musical instrument through the provision of private lessons.

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people living in the home are

Listening to and letting young people express themselves is rooted in the home’s daily ethos and culture. Consultation with young people through general discussions and one-to-one work ensures that each individual can contribute their views and talk about their feelings. Every opportunity is taken to ensure time and space is provided for young people to talk about matters when and where they want. Young people are involved in formal reviews and care planning, which further supports the home’s inclusive approach to their care. They know how to make a formal complaint if needed but have not found this necessary.

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people living in the home are

Young people participate in the domestic life of the home and are helped to practice and learn skills that relate to being more responsible for themselves. Staff provide hands-on coaching and support to help young people focus on their aspirations and goals as they move towards young adulthood. Staff encourage and support young people to develop friendships outside of the home as well as welcoming their friends into the house. They are fully supported to maintain contact with people in their lives who are important to them. Staff pay particular attention to what young people have to say about these activities in order for them to have a degree of control over these arrangements.

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people are helped and protected

Young people are helped and protected exceptionally well. They feel very safe and are very pleased with the way in which they are looked after. The registered manager and staff team confidently and consistently meet their responsibilities to keep young people safe. They make sure that the quality of care that young people experience prioritises their welfare. Young people actively benefit from the home’s well-established routines and practices that explicitly recognise the need to keep everyone safe. Staff are very aware of agreed strategies that consistently and successfully help young people improve their behaviour and relationships.

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people are helped and protected

Young people do not go missing from care or have unauthorised absences. Staff know what to do if these circumstances occur but their main focus is on working with young people to prevent these events from happening in the first place. Staff successfully and consistently provide a home environment where young people do not feel the need to run away. Young people are enabled to have the same social experiences as other young people their age. This includes having free time away from staff; seeing friends; staying overnight with friends and having visitors to the home for tea. Staff effectively balance the need for safety while enabling young people to take reasonable risks as part of growing up and becoming more independent.

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people are helped and protected

Staff consistently promote and praise positive behaviour. Staff take full account of young people’s difficult past experiences when they are helping them to make positive changes. Young people make considerable progress in this regard because staff are skilled and experienced at helping to maintain safe boundaries and socially acceptable behaviours. Where young people's behaviour falls below an expected standard, staff engage with them patiently using their training and individual behaviour management plans. This results in lots of dialogue and discussion rather than staff resorting to the use of formal measures of control. Because of this, physical restraint is not used and sanctions are rare.

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people are helped and protected

Staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities to ensure young people’s continued safety is maintained. The home’s environment is physically safe and appropriately secure, which takes account of the needs and varying circumstances of young people. Young people’s health and safety is fully supported because maintenance and protective procedures and practices are applied consistently by the team.

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leaders and managers

The home is managed by a qualified, skilled and experienced manager who has been in post and registered for a number of years. The post holder also manages another registered children's home, which is close by. The manager’s time is shared between both homes depending on the needs, demands and circumstances of each service.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager leads by example and is supported by a competent deputy and a qualified, stable staff team. The manager has a very effective management approach that consistently promotes high expectations from the team to help young people make the most of their stay at the home. As a result, staff clearly demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering a high quality service that is tailored to individual needs and personal goals. The effectiveness of this approach is evidenced by the excellent progress young people make in comparison to their circumstances on arrival.

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leaders and managers

Young people’s records are extremely detailed and present an excellent overall picture of their experiences and progress to date. Records are maintained to a very high standard and information is well organised within case files. Although young people know they can access their records this is not necessarily promoted well or in a way that encourages a greater awareness of what is written about them.

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leaders and managers

Consistent staffing means that young people are able to develop strong attachments and trusting relationships with the adults who look after them. A comprehensive range of information is readily available about the service, its values and operation. Young people and staff are clear about what the service is expected to achieve and the way in which care and support is to be provided.

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leaders and managers

Team working is very strong which contributes significantly to the progress young people make. Access to a wide range of training reflects the commitment to staff development. Staff update their core skills at regular intervals as well as completing more specific training that relates to individual needs. This ensures that the staff team are helped to maintain the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the ever-changing needs of young people in their care.

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leaders and managers

The home's internal quality assurance and monitoring systems have been developed and improved to take account of recent changes in regulation. These systems include a range of management activities that draw together information about how well the home is operating and if young people are making good enough progress. The manager is soon to complete the first six-monthly review with the aim of including and evaluating feedback from a range of sources about the quality of care provided.

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leaders and managers

Although monthly monitoring visits show a level of scrutiny that helps the service improve, these visits are not being completed by a person who is independent. For example, monitoring visits are being undertaken by people with other operational roles and responsibilities within the organisation. Although this has been acknowledged by the provider organisation, proposed changes to address this matter are not yet operational. Currently, the central aim of the independent visitor role is undermined because the services that young people are using are not being scrutinised impartiality.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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